Every day comes as a gift and grace

“A lily of a day Is fairer far in May, Although it fall and die that night - It was the plant and flower of Light. In small proportions we just beauties see; And in short measures life may perfect be.” This short poem of Ben Johnson has been a source of great inspiration for me ever since my rediscovery of the beauty and wonder that life in itself is. Every day of life comes to us as a gift and grace. This was the truth I discovered through my encounter with death in the air crash in 1982. I was 35 years old, a serving Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force. It was the prime of life, with great plans and ambitions. But encountering death at the least expected moment and in the least expected manner can be a devastating experience. For me, that encounter was a 'turning point' in my life. I came to realise that life is a gift and grace of God given to us free. Learning to accept each day as the best and the last day of one's life is an exciting yet very rewarding experience. We can get up in the morning with great expectations of things in store for us during the unfolding day, and go to bed in the night with a sense of joy and gratitude for yet another day well lived. This takes away all tensions and worries, and makes life an exciting sojourn and pilgrimage of faith on earth. Most of us spend a lot of time and energy thinking and worrying about the future which is not in our hands. Some of us also waste a great deal of our life-energies regretting about our past blunders and mistakes. Past is gone forever. We can only learn from the past mistakes, but carrying the burdens of the past is of no use. Believe that the best days of our life are still ahead of us, and they will be.